First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department. Duties may include management functions, such as purchasing, budgeting, accounting, and personnel work, in addition to supervisory duties.
Also called: Bakery Manager · Delicatessen Manager · Department Manager · Department Supervisor · Grocery Manager · Key Carrier
Median pay (national)
$47,320
$31,120–$76,560 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
1,113,160
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
-5%
~125,100 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for first-line supervisors of retail sales workers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $76,560 versus $31,120 at the bottom 10% — 2.5x. The median of $47,320 leaves roughly 62% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change -5% from 2024 to 2034 — a projected decline, against +3% across all occupations. Even so, BLS projects about 125,100 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Washington pays the most for this role (median $58,460, +24% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $28,690 — a 104% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Office software as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Provide customer service by greeting and assisting customers and responding to customer inquiries and complaints.
- Examine merchandise to ensure that it is correctly priced and displayed and that it functions as advertised.
- Instruct staff on how to handle difficult and complicated sales.
- Assign employees to specific duties.
- Plan and prepare work schedules and keep records of employees' work schedules and time cards.
- Establish and implement policies, goals, objectives, and procedures for the department.
- Direct and supervise employees engaged in sales, inventory-taking, reconciling cash receipts, or in performing services for customers.
- Keep records of purchases, sales, and requisitions.
- Perform work activities of subordinates, such as cleaning and organizing shelves and displays and selling merchandise.
- Review inventory and sales records to prepare reports for management and budget departments.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Office software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Apple Safari
- Autodesk Revit
- Google Analytics
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- Kronos Workforce Timekeeper
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Visio
- Microsoft Windows
- Mozilla Firefox
- Oracle Database
- Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Sales and Marketing
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics